Veterans Committee Passes Banks Bill to Improve Veteran Crisis Line
Washington, DC,
November 3, 2017
The House Veterans Affairs Committee yesterday passed the bill by Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03) that would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the effectiveness of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). Banks spoke on his bill yesterday during a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee markup hearing. Click here or on the image below to view his testimony.
“The VCL has made remarkable strides in helping veterans in crisis and has fielded nearly 2.8 million calls,” said Banks. “If we use the data from these calls to discern how veterans fare after initial contact, the VA can get even closer to achieving its goal of providing comprehensive mental health care.” The Veterans Crisis Line connects veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified VA responders through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat or text. The Veterans Crisis Line has received more than 2.3 million calls and 55,000 texts since the VA implemented it in 2007. Congressman Banks introduced the Veterans Crisis Line bill on Tuesday, October 31. ### Interested members of the media may contact Anna Swick at anna.swick@mail.house.gov |
